With increasing energy demand and nations' need to ensure national energy security, the successful application of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) to manage carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the power sector is a critical part of the world's efforts to mitigate severe global warming. The successful demonstration of the economic and environmental performance of coal-based power with CCS may therefore be critical for allowing continued reliance on coal for electricity generation.
The SECARB (Southeast Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership) Phase III Anthropogenic Test (henceforth called the Project) integrates carbon capture from Alabama Power Company's Plant Barry coal-fired power plant with transport and injection into a deep saline formation for the purpose of demonstrating long-term storage. The Project is one of the world's largest integrated post-combustion coal fired Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) field demonstration projects.
This paper presents how the Project partners have documented risk assessments associated with the CCS chain (capture, transport by pipeline, storage, and monitoring), and discusses how the project plans to manage risks related to the integration of these components. The process of developing the project risk register represents a pioneering effort for CCS projects with capture from a coal-fired power plant, and highlights the need to ensure good communication and shared understanding of risks and opportunities among the project partners. The process and approach to develop the project risk register should therefore help inform future projects about integrated risk assessment and communication.